Chapter 17: Comfort ( 9:33 AM In the Storage Room)

"And there you have it. I didn't know what to say, so I just left, and now everything feels… strange." Mira sighed as the others remained quiet for a moment.

"Wow… it sounds like you've been through a lot, huh?" Chase said.

"I don't know… I want to believe he didn't mean it, but the more I think about it, the more it just feels like he just doesn't want me around anymore. Or… maybe he's been pretending to be my friend this whole time so I wouldn't feel lonely or something…? I don't know..."

"Th-That can't be true! I mean, you saw how worried he was after the second round! There's no way he could have been faking that!" Skye denied before Mira shook her head.

"I know, but maybe he was just waiting for me to make new friends, and now that I'm talking to you guys-"

"D-Don't you think you're overthinking things a little bit?" Rocky worried.

"I don't know, this is way too confusing, and I wish I could just…! Arrrghhh!"

"Here, let's just change the subject. How do you feel about all of this?"

"How do I feel…?"

"Yeah! So far, you've been worried about what he thinks, but what about you?"

"I… I want to say that I'm mad and I never wanna see him again, but… it's just not true! I… We've been through so much, it kind of feels like he's become a part of me that I never want to let go of because he's my friend! He'll always be my friend, and... I want to be his friend too, but if he doesn't want me around... then l… I'll..." Mira paused for a moment before sighing. "I guess I'll be fine…"

"Hey, it's okay if you're not going to be-"

"No, seriously! I know it's going to be hard, but I'll be fine as long as he's happy, and if he's not, then I'll still be there for him. I guess I haven't really done a great job of showing that, huh?"

"Hey, that's not your fault! I mean, you were under a lot of stress, weren't you? Just take some time to cool, and I'm sure you'll get a chance to talk to him eventually." Chase commented.

"I hope so because right now, it feels like my heart is about to explode."

"Well, if you need a place to stay, then you can always come in here, right guys?" Skye asked as Rocky nodded his head.

"Yeah, I mean, there's always enough room for more pups around here!" He smiled before remembering what he said earlier. "Uhhh...W-Well, yeah…There's a lot of stuff, but…I… Ummm... Y-You know what I mean!"

"Heh heh. Thanks, guys, this really means a lot to me, and…I promise I'll do whatever I can to stop the name-calling for sure this time, Rocky." Mira vowed.

"Well, I'm glad we could help."

"Yeah, this is going to be great! Now that you're cool with Rocky, I bet we're going to have a great time working together!" Skye howled as Chase nodded his head.

"Yeah, this calls for a celebration! But first, I need some water…" He said before standing up.

"Yeah, me too. Let's all go together, shall we?"

"Sure, I can go for something real quick." Rocky agreed.

"Y-You guys don't mind if I stick around, do you? I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back yet." Mira hesitated.

"Not at all! In fact, we should try having a 2vs2 in foosball sometime!"

"Oooooh! I call being on Mira's team!" Skye chirped. "Us girls have to stick together, am I right?"

"Umm, I've never really played before..."

"Oh don't worry, it's easy! You'll get used to it after the first round."

"Alright, if you say so." Mira grinned before following them.

Meanwhile with Skipper and Peter (Near the field)

"Wow, she wasn't kidding! You really are good at this, Peter!" Skipper complimented as they finished painting a few wooden flats.

"Thanks! It took me a while to warm up, but I don't think anyone will notice."

"That's okay, let's move on to the next one. We should be done before Mr. Jordan starts making lunch."

"Actually, while you were gone, we started working on our pizza dough yesterday."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah! Rocky and those new guys helped us get started yesterday. It was really fun, and I think we're going to finish up today."

"Wow, and there weren't any problems?"

"Nope, nothing on our end." Peter hesitated as Skipper raised an eyebrow.

"... Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah! P-Positive…!"

"Hmmm…. That doesn't sound very reassuring, but I'll believe you on that I guess." Skipper replied as Peter's tail dropped. "Wait for it…"

"I… It's just that…I stopped talking to Sarah and Joey recently, and I don't know if I'm doing the right thing anymore. It's like things are just starting to change and now I just… I don't know anymore…"

"Whoa, S-slow down-"

"I mean sure, they just love to joke around, but still! That doesn't mean they have to be rude about it!"

"Peter, what are you-"

"I just want to act like myself in front of them, but every time I try, I just end up being ridiculous, and now I just-!"

"Peter!" Skipper barked as Peter fell silent for a moment.

"I… I'm sorry, it's just that I... You know what? Forget that I said anything. Let's just-

"No no no no no, you've got some explaining to do."

"B-But I really don't want to-"

"Please? You know you can talk to me about these kinds of things."

"D-Don't worry about it, I'll be fine..." Peter mumbled as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Well, your tone is telling me otherwise."

"I…"

"Look, I didn't volunteer here just to watch you guys mope, I came here to help out, so can you please-"

"I said I'll be fine!" He shouted before breaking into a small cry. "W-Why won't you believe me…?"

"Peter, it's okay! I already heard part of what you said, so you don't have to pretend in front of me. I want to help."

"I-It was just an argument, that's all..."

"Really? What happened?"

"I… I wanted to stop, but I just… I…"

"There there, it's okay. Here, why don't you sit down? Relax, and start from the beginning." Skipper comforted as Peter wiped his eyes."

"I… When you first introduced me to them, it felt like I was the most happiest pup in the world because I finally had some friends I could relate to, but I guess things started to change, and now I don't know if I'm doing the right thing anymore."

"Things started to change?"

"Yeah… Anytime I try to be funny, they would always make fun of me, and I would just laugh it off. At first, it didn't bother me, but the more I kept laughing, the ruder their comments got, and I just…. I don't know…."

"Have you tried talking to them?"

"Yeah… Twice actually."

"And how'd it go?"

"Not so great... The first time I tried, I stuttered way too much, and the next, everyone just kept on talking over me, so after yesterday's argument, I just told them that I was never going to talk to them, and here I am…" Peter explained.

"Wait, why were you stuttering?"

"I-I always stutter when I'm nervous."

"But why were you nervous? Weren't you being honest?"

"I was, but I… Things... felt different after my first attempt. You wouldn't understand."

"Hmm... You wanted to get back at them, didn't you?" Skipper said as Peter's eyes opened wider. "You thought that maybe if you stood up to them, they would leave you alone, but at the same time, you wanted to get back at them, so you ended up focusing on that instead."

"H-How did you-"

"Let's just say I've been through a similar situation, except in my case, I had no one to tell me that it was a bad idea."

"It is…?"

"Look, there's nothing wrong with trying to defend yourself, but if you're just doing it to get back at them, then you're basically part of the problem."

"But, I don't want there to be any problems, I just want to talk to them, because I don't like being alone, and I just don't want to be made fun of anymore!" Peter cried.

"Well, why didn't you just tell them that from the beginning?"

"I tried, but I ended up getting all of the words mixed up, so I just ran away..."

"I see… So are you going to try again?

"I don't know…. I mean, maybe they're better off without me…"

"Okay, now you're just coming up with excuses."

"N-No, I'm serious! I feel like I've only been getting on their nerves ever since then, so maybe it's best if I just-

"Oh come on, they're your friends! I've seen you all smiling in the past. They like being around you! And I bet if you told them otherwise, then they'll do whatever they can to prove you wrong."

"I wouldn't put money on it..." Peter whimpered as Skipper placed his paw on his back.

"Trust me, I think you should try talking to them again, but this time, be a little more honest! Don't try to overthink things, and just tell them how you feel."

"B-But what if I mess up a third time? What if they don't want to take me seriously? What if I-"

"What did I just say about overthinking things?"

"Oh right! S-Sorry about that..."

"Don't worry, you've got this. Just give it some time, and when the moment comes, you go for it!"

"Well, how do I know when it's there?"

"Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. It's not hard to miss."

"Okay… I guess I'll give it another go." Peter vowed before standing up.

"That's more like it! Here, I'll leave this one up to you since it's a personal issue. You can do this, I believe in you."

"Thanks, Skipper, I really needed that confidence boost!"

"No worries, just doing what I can to help out! Now come on, let's finish up over here so we can take a break."

"Right!" Peter smiled as he followed him.